A Hunt Among Vampires (The Angel Series) (6 page)

“You may think that now, but he will find a way into your heart if you let him. You have had a difficult life. I apologize for my part in that. You deserve to find some peace and happiness too. He can give you that if you are not too afraid to seize it.”

“I am happy by myself. I don’t need him to make me happy.” I state firmly.

“You may not need him, but that does not mean that you do not want him. I only ask that you give this vampire a chance. He may be worth the risk.”

Before I can respond, Christien stirs, drawing my attention and snapping me back into my body like a rubber band. When I turn back around to look where my mother was floating, she is gone. I watch Christien for a few minutes when Christien speaks to me telepathically, startling me.

“
You are awake.”
Christien whispers into my mind.

“I thought vampires could not enter an angel’s mind.” I say to my absent mother.

Christien opens his eyes and sits up. “I cannot read your thoughts, unless you project them to me, or plant suggestions in your mind, but I am able to speak to you telepathically when you allow me to. You should be able to communicate with me telepathically too, if you tried. With some practice, you should be able to project into a human or were’s mind too.”

“She told me that I am coming into more angel powers. She isn’t certain of everything I will or will not be able to do, but she knows that my increased blood thirst is a good indicator that my powers are increasing. She says I need a teacher. I asked her if she knew of any angels in human form, but no such luck. She said she would try to find an angel to train me. She did mention that you could help me control my vampire powers, if you are willing?”

“I would be happy to train you. We have almost five weeks before we go to Europe. I will train you and Tyler simultaneously. Have you had any training?”

“Some. I met a vampire named Austin when I was on the streets as a teen. He took me in as his pet project and taught me how to feed without killing my donors. He taught me how to make my bite pleasurable instead of painful. Mostly, he treated me like a doll and dressed me up. He’s the reason for my fantastic taste in fashion.”

“I admit your taste in clothing is quite amazing, but he failed to teach you things young vampires should know. Did he know that you are half-angel?” Christien props his head under his arm as he leans back against the pillows.

“No. I never told anyone until I met Rome. He was the first and only person I told until you. The only reason I trusted Rome with the information was because he became so suspicious of me and my avoidance of vampires, I had to tell him before he decided that I would make a good paycheck.”

“Roman would never betray you.”

“Maybe, maybe not. I couldn’t be sure. I trusted him because I needed help. I needed someone else in my life who would understand what I was going through. I thought about telling Tyler, but with him being human, he can’t even understand what it is like to be a preternatural being. At least Roman was a werewolf and he knew a little about vampires. I wasn’t in danger from him draining me dry if I accidentally cut myself around him.”

“I cannot imagine how you have lived among vampires for so long without your presence known.” Christien states in disbelief.

“I have been trained to fight for my survival since I was old enough to walk. My first word might have been ‘Sensei’. My mother knew that I would be fighting my entire life so she made sure that my aunt hired the best trainers to teach me. My aunt never allowed me to leave the house. She only let me leave her basement to clean her house. I didn’t know anything about where I lived until I left the night Hassan attacked me. I had tutors growing up. Almost all of my education came from books. I have never been to school or have had any formal education. Reading about things and experiencing them is completely different. I had limited access to TV and the internet. My aunt was successful at cutting me off from the world. She was cruel, vindictive, and selfish. The only reason she kept me was so the lawyer that wrote her a monthly check could see that I was still alive and in her care. I have no doubt in my mind that she would have let me die or would have given me to the state if it wasn’t for his insistence in seeing me every month as decreed in my parents’ will.”

“Was your aunt an angel too?” He asks, running his hand up and down my arm.

“No, she was the human sister of my mother’s human form.”

Christien nods in understanding. “Fighting humans is quite different than fighting vampires or weres. You will need more lessons if you are going to be around vampires all the time. Kayle and Pantor, another one of my vampires, are responsible for most of the weapons training. Since I do not trust you around anyone except Kayle, I will train you myself.”

I roll my eyes. “I told you that I know how to fight. I just need to learn how to do the vampire stuff.”

“That is also covered during training.” He pulls me closer to him and whispers seductively in my ear. “I should experience your skills first hand to know how much more you need to learn.”

I giggle.
Did I just giggle?
“You have already experienced my fighting skills first hand. I seemed to do well enough against you. Plus, you saw me fight off Hassan’s vampires when they attacked and I did okay.”

“Those were very young vampires. They are nothing compared to going against vampires that are older and more experienced.” He informs me seriously.

“A vampire cannot use mind control against me.”

He shrugs. “Just as you are not able to use mind control against them, so you must rely on your strength and speed more than others. This will be an advantage and disadvantage. If we knew the full extent of what angels could do, perhaps this would give you the upper hand. The only way I can determine and unlock your potential is to push your limits. It helps that I am strong and I have recently gained new powers I did not wield before.”

“Oh really.” I sit up on the bed. “What kind of powers?”

“Until recently, I have not been able to teleport, or travel by thought. This is a new ability that only the strongest vampires in the world have. It is a draining ability so I have limited my use of this power unless necessary.”

I gasp. “I remember Austin telling me about that power. When did you get it?”

“Only in the past couple of days have I been able to teleport. I have been wary of experimenting because of the weakened state it leaves me in.” Christien admits, feeling slightly embarrassed by his weakness.

“How did you know you could teleport?”

“I knew that capability exists because I have heard about it. I understand the concept of what to do. When I drank your bagged blood along with my feeding on you during our sexual encounters, I noticed a significant power gain. I am an old vampire, powerful in my own right. With your blood, my powers have increased. I cannot imagine the power a vampire would receive if they were to drain you or get their hands on a large amount of your blood.” He gives me a pointed look.

I stubbornly lift my head. “I didn’t think about that and I’m not apologizing for my negligence anymore.”

Christien nods in acceptance. “After noticing my increase in power, I waited until I was alone and performed a test to see if I was capable of teleporting. When I was successful, I realized the implications of having that much of your blood on hand. It is dangerous
chatte
. Not only for you, for anyone who knows about it. That is why I have commanded Kayle and Tyler not to mention it to anyone. I wiped the memories of my servants of the events that happened this morning. No one will know what happened. Your safety is the most important thing to me. You are my mate.”

“I am not...” I begin, but he interrupts me.

“You are my mate. It is very rare in a vampire’s lifetime that they find the one person with whom their soul resonates. We have both experienced the attraction from the first moment we met. I knew immediately that you were the one for me. I will be patient, but know that you are mine and we will be together.”

“You don’t know that we are soul mates. It could be my angel blood calling to you.” I tell him disbelievingly.

“Have you experienced our level of attraction to any other person, vampire or not, during your lifetime?” He asks knowingly.

“No, but just because I haven’t doesn’t mean we are mated. I don’t do relationships. I definitely don’t want a relationship with a vampire. I swore to myself when I was young that I wouldn’t get involved with one. My mother expressed how dangerous it would be for me to fall in love with a vampire. I am not going to let you sweep me off my feet and carry me away. My life is no fairytale.”

“I would never hurt you Jessica. I only want you safe. I do not covet power like other vampires. I prefer trying to blend in with humans and living a quiet, normal existence. My territory in France is small. I have only a few vampires compared to other masters my age. We keep to ourselves. I do what I can to preserve the human race, not try to dominate or destroy them.”

“I don’t doubt your good intentions Christien. I just don’t know what I want out of my life. I am truly immortal. You are long lived, but you can still die. If someone was to remove my head, I become a spirit and can retake human form if I take another body. I have no idea what that would do to my vampire half, but I am an angel. My mother did tell me that much.”

“I am glad you will never have to experience true death. You may be immortal, but I have lived on the earth for over 1500 years. I have seen, heard and done much over my lifetime. I am more than capable of living as long as you will on this earth. You have no reason to fear my death.”

I sigh, unable to refute his argument. “I have always been alone. I don’t know how to be part of a group, vampires or not.”

“We will not think about this issue right now. For now, I am happy to have you in my life. Many vampires go mad, as they get older without a reason to live or get bored with life. I do not see that becoming a problem with me anymore now that I have you.”

“At least, not right now.” I mutter under my breath.

Christien ignores my comment and changes the subject. “Why did you run away this morning,
ma chatte petite
?”

“Why should I stay? Your servants are now scared of me. Kayle really doesn’t like me much and your other vampires make me wary. The only one who truly wants me there is you and that is because you think I’m your mate. I don’t really fit there. I don’t really fit anywhere.”

“Yes, you do.” He pets my hair affectionately. “You belong with me and mine. I told you my servants do not remember the incident. My vampires will get used to your presence. As far as the way Kayle feels about you... I think his original opinion of you has changed drastically since you have saved his life, more than once.”

“Great, another puppet.” I moan.

“No
chatte
, he is not your puppet. He may not have understood our relationship before, but he understands how I feel about you now. Kayle and I have been together for a very long time. He is the first vampire I have ever sired. He is very protective of me and he does not want to see me hurt. I feel the same way about him. He is my son in many ways, but he is also my best friend. I trust him explicitly.”

A strange possessive feeling washes over me. I bury it in the back of my mind. “I feel the same way about Roman. I’ve never been able to let down my guard around anyone until I met him. There is something about Roman. He is different from other people I have come across during my short time out in the world. He makes me believe he will do anything to keep me safe. I know I hurt his feelings by keeping my blood a secret from him, but at the same time, I know he will understand why I did and forgive me. He knows me like no other does. No one knows all my secrets, but he’s the one that has gotten the closest.”

Christien’s power begins to trickle over my skin, drawing my attention to his face. His eyes have their vampire glow and his jaw muscles flex. “Are you sleeping with him?”

Is he jealous?
I wonder. “You know Roman only sleeps with men. He likes women well enough, but he doesn’t want to settle down and have puppies.”

“Are you sleeping with him?” He asks, angrier this time. More power washes over me and I rub my arms.

“Are you sleeping with Kayle?” I throw back at him. “Austin told me that vampires aren’t usually very picky about their sexual partners when they get older.”

“I can do what I want to do. You don’t own me Christien so you can stop all this possessive macho crap.” I slide off the other side of the bed and stand with my hands on my hips.

“He cannot... no. You cannot sleep with him anymore Jessica!” The release of more power nearly causes my knees to buckle. “You are
my
mate. He cannot have you.”

“Stop, Christien.” I gasp for air that seems to be disappearing as his power fills the room. I grab on to my bedpost to keep me upright. “I can’t breathe.”

He finally sees me struggling and regains his temper. It is easier to breathe and I collapse on the bed panting.

“What the hell was that about Christien?” I blurt out harshly.